NYT/Siena poll: 61% oppose AI data centers

The poll, conducted in early September and released Tuesday, adds to a pattern of negative sentiment toward AI infrastructure. An NBC News poll in March showed AI polling lower than ICE, and a Gallup poll in May found seven in ten Americans opposed local construction of AI data centers. Despite the opposition, the issue remains a low priority for most voters ahead of the midterms, with less than one percent across most demographics naming it as a deciding issue. The notable exception is younger voters aged 18-29, where three percent chose it. The opposition is not uniformly for an outright ban: 56 percent of opponents support limits, while 38 percent prefer a total ban. The top reasons cited for opposition were environmental and water usage at 32 percent, impact on local communities at 21 percent, and general distrust of AI at 18 percent. The findings may signal that developers and policymakers will need to address local concerns to move projects forward, though the low priority ranking suggests it may not be a decisive electoral issue for most.